View full sizeScott ChappelearNew Gloucester Catholic head baseball coach Mike Rucci speaks at a press conference at Gloucester Catholic High School Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. He replaces Dennis Barth, who spent 19 years coaching the Rams and won nine state championships.

GLOUCESTER — From his fifth-grade classroom at Alice Costello Elementary School in Brooklawn, Mike Rucci can look out the window and see Brooklawn’s Joe Barth Field where he played baseball for three state championship teams at Gloucester Catholic High School.

He’d always hoped he’d be back there wearing the maroon and gold of the Rams someday, but never thought it would be this soon.

But Rucci was indeed announced Monday at a press conference as the new baseball coach at Gloucester Catholic, just after it became official that 19-year head man Dennis Barth was stepping down to take over the program at Rutgers University-Camden.

“(West Deptford athletic director Tim Cammarota) said he thought he was going to lose me to Gloucester Catholic, he just didn’t think it was going to be this soon,” Rucci said. “I talked to him (Sunday), he understood. It’s like a dream job to get in high school baseball, this is the cream of the crop. He understood me coming back to where I played, where I went to school.

“I thanked them for everything. I probably wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t get the opportunity from West Deptford two years ago to take over that program. That’s a great program, they have great facilities over there, great kids.... I learned a lot to get me prepared to take over probably the best program in the state, maybe in the country in my opinion.”

Rucci has a lot to live up to. Barth followed Hall of Fame coach Al Radano, who won over 300 games and six state championships in his 18 seasons leading the Rams baseball team. With nine state titles in 19 seasons and nearly 500 wins, Barth, a 1980 Catholic graduate who played for Radano, raised the bar even higher, but insisted he was only carrying on a tradition he expects the 2001 graduate to continue.

“It’s not really a sad day,” said Barth. “Gloucester Catholic was good long before I was here, and it will be good long afterward, especially in (Rucci’s) hands. Baseball’s been good, done special things ... and all that’s going to continue under Mike if not further. I wouldn’t have left unless I knew they were in good hands.”

Barth is taking over a Rutgers-Camden program that went 15-24 last season, including 4-13 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Gloucester Catholic and Brooklawn American Legion assistant coaches Josh Copskey, Bryan Barth and Mike Brown could all end up on Barth’s staff with the Scarlet Raptors.

“Maybe I’m going crazy, mid-life crisis or something,” Barth laughed when asked why he went to Rutgers-Camden. “I’m not sure if I’m right. It’s an opportunity. I’ve had the opportunity before, years ago, I probably wasn’t ready for it. I guess I’m getting old, I turned 51 over the weekend. I might as well give it a shot.”

“(Dennis Barth) made a really good decision for himself and his future, and I wish him all the luck in the world,” Rams athletic director Pat Murphy added. “It’s no secret here that at Gloucester Catholic, we like hiring (from within the family). We like the people who’ve been through the system, are aware of the pitfalls ... but more importantly have the passion to continue on the success of our programs.

“I was very nervous when I knew that Dennis was going to tell me he was leaving.... When I heard Michael Rucci’s name, it felt like a ton of bricks off my shoulders.”

Rucci plans on asking Eagles assistant coach Justin Mendek, another former Ram and one of Rucci’s closest friends, to be on his staff but hasn’t finalized anything yet. Returning seniors Mike Shawaryn and John Theckston were also at the press conference, and neither thought there would be much of a change in philosophy or goals.

“Dennis, he means the world, he’s a great coach,” said Shawaryn, a pitcher. “I don’t see the program dipping any with Mike Rucci.... Our goals aren’t going to change as a team. Hopefully we’re going to win it all next year.”

“As a catcher myself, I’m looking forward to (Rucci) helping me out as much as possible,” added Theckston. “I always want to get better. I asked him for help (already).”

And now while Barth leaves high school for the new challenges of coaching Division III baseball — he still plans on coaching the Brooklawn Senior American Legion team that just returned from the World Series — the only catcher he ever let call his own pitches will take on the stewardship of the legendary program he once played for and whose field he can still see from his classroom window.

“I’m going to give it everything I have, I’m going to embrace the tradition here,” Rucci said. “I’m really excited to be back and wear the maroon and gold again.

“I get to go right from center field to the dugout. That’s going to be an easy trip, I don’t even have to move my car.”